Is it possible to make a successful event like the Stubai Ultratrail even better? Sure! Proof, if any were needed, can be found in the third edition of this already legendary trailrun. Taking place on 29 June 2019, it will once again see athletes push themselves to the limit on courses starting in Innsbruck and Neustift and finishing on the Stubai Glacier at over 3,000 metres above sea level.
So what’s new for 2019? The racing will be longer, harder and even more beautiful – as well as featuring a brand new distance: the Stubai 19K. This will see participants complete a course measuring 18.6 kilometres in length and with 1,998 vertical metres of climbing. Runners can also look forward to an exciting new trail to be included in the Stubai Ultratrail for the first time in 2019.
“After receiving lots of feedback from participants we were keen to react immediately instead of waiting until 2020. We want runners taking part next year to benefit from these changes, which we believe will make the event even more attractive,” explains Martin Hafenmair, course director of the Stubai Ultratrail. Together with the Stubai Tirol Tourism Board, Hafenmair has been hard at work developing a new trail designed to make the mid-section of the course near Neustift more appealing for runners and spectators alike.
That means participants in the Stubai Ultratrail and what used to be known as the Stubai Basic Trail (now called the Stubai 35K) will have to take on an additional challenge in 2019, yet the new trail will also make for a more enjoyable running experience.
So what has been changed for 2019? The Stubai Ultratrail now measures 65.6km in length and has 6,027 vertical metres of climbing as well as 1,668 vertical metres of descending. The Stubai Basic Trail is now called the Stubai 35K and, as the name suggests, comprises 35.1km of running with 3,808 vertical metres of uphill and 1,668 vertical metres of downhill. As in previous years, these courses will start in the regional capital, Innsbruck, and the village of Neustift in the Stubai Valley respectively. The finish line will always be at the Jochdohle restaurant on the Stubai Glacier, 3,150 metres above sea level.
New for 2019: New for 2019 is the section in the middle of the Stubai Valley near the village of Neustift. After a spectacular sunrise and wonderful mountain views from the Starkenburger Hütte hut high in the mountains, runners will no longer head all the way down into the centre of Neustift but instead run to Milders, a small settlement located slightly further into the valley.
More new features for 2019 are the new trail names and a brand new distance. As well as the full Stubai Ultratrail, the Stubai 35K (formerly Stubai Basic Trail) and the Stubai 8K (formerly Stubai Glacier Trail) there will also be the Stubai 19K.
In 2019 the Stubai Ultratrail and Stubai 35K will also be longer and feature two new tough descents. At the same time, this new section between Neustift and Falbeson offers everything which makes off-road running so enjoyable: technical trails, roots and rocks, thick forests and gravel terrain between 1,800 and 2,300 metres above sea level leading to the Neue Regensburgerhütte hut (2,286m) and offering wonderful views of the majestic glacier fields at the end of the Stubai Valley.
New for 2019 will be the Stubai 19K, the ideal course for runners who want to experience the feeling of crossing the line on the Stubai Glacier without having to complete 60km or 35km. This course measures a relatively short 18.6 kilometres in length with 1,998 vertical metres of climbing and almost no descending. Despite the shorter distance, its route is no less spectacular than the Stubai Ultratrail and the Stubai 35K.
From the floor of the Stubai Valley, runners taking part in the Stubai Ultratrail , the Stubai 35K and the new Stubai 19K climb gently all the way to the start of what has proved one of the main highlights in recent years: the WildeWasserWeg trail.
Stubai 8K: Formerly known as the Stubai Glacier Trail, the shortest of the four distances available now has a new name – and is just as extreme as before. Runners start at the foot of the Stubai Glacier and must ascend 1,394 vertical metres in the space of just 7.6 kilometres as they make their way past the Dresdner Hütte hut over rock, snow and ice all the way to the finish line at the Jochdohle restaurant, 3,150 metres above sea level.
Important! The early-booking discount phase has now been extended until 25 November 2018.
Online registration at this link.
Details on the improved courses and brand new distance are available here.
INFO: Stubai Ultratrail
